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Belles of the Ball
Episode 6, Season 5 of War. Enjoy :) Belles of the Ball "No," Gorsefur says quickly. Even though he's started to get over his fear of losing everyone, he's not quite this comfortable yet. "I agree," Stormflight adds, narrowing his eyes. "Besides, can't someone else go?" "I'm not going," Snowflight mutters. The courier rolls his eyes. "Look, it's not really an invitation. Earthstar's sister is having a party and she's invited three WaterClan she-cats to join her. Waterstar thought your squad would be a good place to start. Brookfall stopped the siege on Main, Shadowsong just got back from FireClan and it'll be a nice easy mission for her, and Snowflight, as a former FireClan cat, could help sway important cats towards us." It never fails to disturb me how easily our squad has become the focus of a lot of very important cats. We're nothing special. "I think we should do it," Adderscar meows. "We need to get EarthClan to stop being involved- at least with FireClan- as soon as possible. This might help. Brookfall can be sort of charming if she tries," he doesn't say anything about the other two and all three of us mutter, "Thanks." "Will it be dangerous?" Gorsefur asks nervously. The courier looks at him like he's suggested everyone start eating mud for a meal to conserve prey. "It's a party." "Will there be any FireClan cats?" Shadowsong looks tense and I don't blame her. If I had just gotten away from my insane FireClan sister, I wouldn't want to see any of them either. Shaking his head, the courier answers, "Earthstar's sister is very liberal. She doesn't like the war, so she hasn't invited any FireClan cats." "Parties are so boring though," Snowflight mutters. Everyone nods and I feel a twinge of embarrassment. As if sensing it, Gorsefur turns to me, "What do you think?" It's a good idea and I want to go and if you don't let me I'm sneaking off anyways. "Yeah, sure," I try to act casually. "I mean, whatever." Gorsefur stares at me for a moment, then looks at the courier, "Um...they'll be there." Snowflight and Shadowsong groan and I'm reminded that they're sisters too. Apparently they remember as well, because they immediately scoot a whisker-length away from each other. Ever since Shadowsong got back, everyone's been acting like they're walking over twigs around her. Stormflight and Adderscar are openly cruel. Snowflight and Oakclaw both tried to help and talk to her, but she shrugged them each off. Gorsefur hasn't done anything, more afraid, I think, of damaging her further, than that she'll shove him away too. I took all my feelings about this- the anger and pity and sadness and love- and buried them deep. I have too much to do to be thinking about that. Before we went to the Gathering, Briarclaw, Shadowsong, and I all helped each other get ready. Now, Snowflight, Shadowsong and I are sitting by the river now, not talking or looking at each other, just washing and grooming. We bid goodbye to the toms a day ago and walked for most of the trip, trotted when we could. No one said a word all trip. I walked between Shadowsong and Snowflight, a buffer. Snowflight looks over at her sister a few times, but Shadowsong just stared stiffly ahead. Now, standing on the EarthClan border, all the feelings I've been quashing all day start to show. If I can be truly honest, I've never been to a party before. At least, I've never been to a party where I wasn't sent to kill someone. Snowflight, Oakclaw, Gorsefur, even Adderscar all talk so flippantly about parties that you'd think they just had one big continuous one that stopped whenever I was around. Which is ridiculous. Obviously. Right? We wait for a patrol to come by. When one appears, I nearly trip over my paws as I hurry to explain we're here for the party. Looking a little amused, they escort us over a couple hills until we reach a valley, boarded by trees. I hear laughter and elegant voices and my eyes start to grow wide. The patrol dips their heads to us on the way out and we pad towards where a few toms stand guard. I squeak out our names and they nod. I step forward, but one blocks me. Whiskers twitching, he announces, "Brookfall, Shadowsong, and Snowflight of WaterClan!" He steps out of my way and my jaw almost drops to the ground. Not only are we going to a party. Not only did we get announced. But everyone has turned to see us and are calling greetings, calling our names. Like they know us. Like we're story tale characters come to life. Snowflight looks like she's struggling to compose herself. If I was thinking clearly, I'd press against her and ask if she was okay as being identified as WaterClan. But I'm high on the awed looks the she-cats give me, the appraising looks from the toms, the wide-eyed stares of the younger cats. It's been a long time since I felt this confident, this good. After a few moments, most of the cats go back to their conversations, but we're approached by a group of pretty she-cats. The one in the lead has sweeping brown fur and green eyes that seem to be flecked with gold. The others defer to her, and I gulp, remembering why we're here. To negotiate and plead and persuade. Not to party or be the belle of the ball. To work. But even that doesn't deflate me and I dip my head as the she-cats sit in front of us. Shadowsong and Snowflight quickly follow my lead and we all sit, forming two half circles. And then, suddenly, I realize I don't know Earthstar's sister's name. At all. They only ever called her 'Earthstar's sister'. I feel a bubble of panic rising within me and feel the brief urge to run out, screaming. "I'm Amberdrop," she introduces herself and I let out my breath. She doesn't sound like some pompous relative of the leader, or even like Snowflight with her precise and crisp way of talking. She sounds warm and cultured and smart and I take an instant liking to her. Her whiskers twitch, "You may have heard of my sister." "I'm Snowflight, and this is Brookfall and Shadowsong," Snowflight supplements, as I'm too busy thinking to remember what I'm supposed to say. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Amberdrop dips her head, though she looks bored with the whole custom. As soon as the pleasantries are exchanged, she straightens up and clears her throat a little, like she's nervous. "How does the river run?" What? What does that even mean? "Swift and sure," Shadowsong and Snowflight immediately reply, as though it's some kind of script. "And how does the forest grow?" Maybe they have been having parties without me. "Strong and steady," the EarthClan cats reply. A few of them are staring at me and, to my humiliation, Amberdrop turns to me. "Brookfall, are you...are you from your Main Camp?" Ears hot, I shake my head, "I come from Summerstorm," I whisper, feeling tears start to sting my eyes. Not only at the mention of my destroyed home, but at this whole situation. I never got to go to parties or have a fancy education or make out with toms, and now, at my first party, I'm going to be humiliated because I'm not a stuffy Main cat. Amberdrop's eyes widen a little and I expect her to say something along the lines of, Get out of here you hick! But all she does is say, "I'm so terribly sorry for your loss." This I do know how to respond to, having fended off apologizes more often than anything else. "Thank you." "What was it like in the country?" a big eyed tabby asks. The other she-cats lean in a little and I feel momentarily stupefied. "It was...erm...a really nice place to grow up. It was so beautiful..." I loose myself in the memory, and then the sadness as I realize I have to use the past tense. It's gone. The she-cats don't see my pain and they continue asking questions. "Did you have to catch your own prey?" "Did you have a mentor?" "Is that why you didn't know how to greet us?" "What if someone got sick? Did you have a medicine cat?" I struggle to deal with all the voices and Snowflight looks at me, whiskers twitching a little. It's easier to tell what she's thinking and feeling now- she's letting her guard down. "We'll let you talk." She, Shadowsong, and Amberdrop pad off, leaving me with my admirers. Shadowsong let Snowflight take the lead. Even though she was the WaterClan cat by birth, even though ordinarily she would have killed anyone who got in the way of her reasoning with Earthstar's sister. Even though she longed to join in. Because she was punishing herself- this was what she deserved. Leaving the fate of her Clan in her less-insane sister's FireClan paws. "I'm very sympathetic to WaterClan's plight," Amberdrop seemed to loose her formal act. Her eyes seemed brighter, her feelings were genuine. "I've discussed it with my sister many times, but she's so afraid..." Amberdrop met Snowflight's eyes. "She doesn't want our Clan to suffer as yours has. She thinks that allying with FireClan will protect us." "Is there any way you can convince her otherwise?" Snowflight asks quietly, sounding so prim and reasonable and sincere. Shadowsong may be good at lying, but she has no idea how the white she-cat managed to detach herself from her emotions entirely. Amberdrop pauses for a moment, then leans in. "My sister needs to see that WaterClan is not weak," she murmured. Shadowsong felt her heart race- this was incredible. Earthstar's sister telling WaterClan how to reason with her! "If," Amberdrop continued. "WaterClan were to meet her with a show of strength, she would be impressed and pull out of the war entirely." Snowflight nodded, understanding how delicate this situation was. "Would such a show perhaps be coming soon...?" Amberdrop narrows her eyes a little, "You should know," she meowed. "I am doing this for my Clan, for my little sister. I believe in doing the right thing, but I am no traitor." Shadowsong felt her heart sink. "But," Amberdrop added, "Earthstar has been massing troops at the border. Perhaps it would do well for Waterstar to meet her there." Shadowsong met Snowflight's eyes for the first time in many sunrises. Snowflight gave a hesitant nod, a show of camaraderie. Shadowsong nodded back. "-it was the coldest leaf-bare anyone could remember," I say, my voice low. The EarthClan cats hang onto my every word. Only a few are still talking by themselves- the majority of the party has moved its attention to me. "The ice was everywhere. The creek froze and we had to wait for the snow to melt into little puddles before we could drink it. The snow was so heavy, that all of the dens except for the nursery, elder's den, and medicine den either collapsed or were snowed in. We had to leave our family dens and all share those three dens!" "Did you ever fight any foxes?" a skinny tom asks. "Yeah!" I feel almost giddy. Not only am I at my first party, I'm the most popular cat here! Who knew having such a boring life would lead to such adoration? "What about greencough?" "Wiped out half the elders and took down most of the warriors before we managed to get the cure." "Did your camp ever catch fire?" I snort, "It was called Summerstorm, what do you think?" "Did anyone ever invade?" an excited looking kit calls. Riverkit screaming. My mother falling, her mouth forming my name with her last breath. FireClan everywhere, desecrating everything I've ever known and loved. "Yeah," I meow, tightly. "One time." I stand. "Excuse me, I'm going to go get a drink." I trot over to the creek, tears blinding me. "Thank you again, so much," Snowflight said demurely. "No trouble," Amberdrop smiled graciously. "Enjoy the party, I'll have someone escort you home whenever you're ready." Snowflight bowed her head and turned to pad away, only to realize Shadowsong wasn't following her. "Come on," she hissed, irritated. "In a second," Shadowsong breathed, barely aware of what she was doing. Snowflight rolled her eyes and padded away, leaving Shadowsong with Amberdrop. "Did you want to ask me something?" Amberdrop asks, tipping her head. It made Shadowsong think if Snowflight which made her think of Lionwing and she suddenly felt breathless. "What was her name?" she asked in a rush. "Before she became leader?" Amberdrop doesn't question her motives for asking, she just purrs fondly. "Fernlight. Her mentor used to say she lightened up whatever den she walked into." Apart of Shadowsong is cursing herself for asking advice from this strange EarthClan cat. But maybe that's why she needs it- this is someone she barely knows, someone she doesn't completely trust, but liked. "You said she was scared for her Clan, that's why she sided with FireClan. How come you're not scared?" She doesn't answer that one right away. "I've heard about you," Amberdrop says softly. "It was one of the reasons I asked for you to come. You are so, so brave." Shadowsong felt a flicker of surprise, and then more surprise at the fact she was surprised. She was the leader of ArroganceClan. She never doubted herself, her abilities, her heart. She did now though. "My sister is like you," Amberdrop continued, purring a little. "Always willing to throw herself in front of the fox to save everyone else." Shadowsong found herself nodding. "To be honest, I am afraid," Amberdrop admitted. "I'm afraid for EarthClan, but mostly I'm afraid for her. She's so selfless, she would die in a heartbeat to save someone else. And I can't bear to loose her. So my advice to you is this," Shadowsong leaned forward unconsciously, hanging on to every word. "Be a little selfish," Amberdrop said. "Let your friends take care of you, because they obviously want to. Heal." If it had come from Snowflight or Oakclaw or anyone else, Shadowsong would have launched a tirade about why that was stupid. But now she found herself nodding, "Thank you," she whispered. Amberdrop nodded kindly and stood, "I'd best get back to the party, but Shadowsong?" "Yea- Yes?" "Fernlight never let anyone in," Amberdrop meowed. "Maybe if she had, this wouldn't have happened. Don't make the same mistakes." Shadowsong nodded and watched as Amberdrop padded serenely away. "I'd call that a success," Snowflight meows. She looks over to Shadowsong, then over to me and sighs. "You two need to stop sulking." "I'm not sulking," Shadowsong objects, and I look over in surprise. "I'm thinking." "About what?" Snowflight teases lightly. "Eating you," Shadowsong replies, bumping into her. "I'm starving!" "Why didn't you eat at the party?" Snowflight asks, whiskers twitching. "I was busy saving WaterClan, sorry." "As I recall, I did most of the saving," Snowflight retorts. Shadowsong pauses for a moment, then looks at her paws, "Yeah. You did. Thanks." Snowflight stops walking, she's so surprised. I stare at Shadowsong and she looks at both of us and rolls her eyes, "Fine! Jeez, next time I'll just keep quiet." Purring, Snowflight presses against her. I feel like I'm seeing the river for the first time or watching a mother greet her newborn kit as the two most lonely, close-off she-cats I know press against each other for comfort. The walk back is much more friendly, though the awkwardness hangs around like a dark cloud. As the sun sets, Shadowsong becomes a little more closed off, though she tries to shake it off. We pass a place I used to hunt as an apprentice and I need a few moments to regain my composure. "At least the toms can't have had as messed up a few days as we have," Shadowsong jokes as we see the clearing we were camping in. I purr in agreement. "We're ba-," I call as we enter the clearing, only to stop short as I see all the toms, curled up together. "What in the name of StarClan are you doing?" Snowflight asks. Stormflight starts, then sees us, and gives a rather un-tomly shriek. This wakes up the others, who, upon seeing us, scramble away, yowling. "You weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow!" Gorsefur yelps, sounding hysteric. "Nice to see you too," I mutter. "What's got you all jumpy?" Shadowsong asks, whiskers twitching. "A hoard of foxes-" "-everything caught fire-" "-and all these rogues-" "I think you misunderstood my question," Shadowsong looks gleeful at the tom's humiliation. "I meant to ask, what's got you all jumpy, really?" "It was this squad of EarthClan cats," Grayleaf finally wails. "They were huge jerks," Stormflight huffs, puffing out his chest to make up for his earlier screaming. "It was horrifying," Oakclaw moans. Shadowsong looks a little impressed, "What, was it Earthstar and a squad of badgers she'd tamed?" "Promise you won't laugh?" Gorsefur begs. We all nod, whiskers already starting to twitch. Gorsefur looks at Oakclaw, Stormflight, Adderscar, then Grayleaf. "They would have found out anyways." "Don't do it!" Oakclaw yowls. "They'll hang it over us forever!" "I'm tired of hiding it," Adderscar meows dramatically. "This will make us stronger," Stormflight sighs. Grayleaf nods, though he's trembling a little. "So...?" I prompt. And then Gorsefur opens his mouth and tells the most ridiculous story I've ever heard. Category:Artimas Hunter's Fanfics